Project Type: Gathering

Count RMC among those architects who realize their highest calling when creating ways to bring people together. We do it in small ways on every project (a hallway bump-out, a strategic circulation path) but sometimes gathering is the project’s sole (soul) purpose and on these occasions, we rise. A ball game, a wedding, a walk in the park — it’s up to us to make sure that these every day occasions are made special by the interactions they hold and the settings that frame them.

The Whatcom Rowing Association was established as a recreational and competitive club in 2011, the vision of local businessman and communitarian Bob Diehl, whose rowing career began at the University of Washington in 1958. The fledgling organization used a small protected corner of Lake Whatcom’s Bloedel Donovan Park to stage boats and access the lake.…

The design direction of the church, originally built in the early 1900’s, was determined by its history and relationship with the surround community. It also needed to respect the simplicity and grace of the church’s East Coast origins as meeting houses, as well as the congregation’s ties to the existing traditional structure. Details such as…

Taylor Dock Uplands Park is the overwater component that connects Downtown Bellingham with the Fairhaven District, enabling pedestrian and bicycle commuters to access these popular destinations. Our assignment was to weave neighborhood concerns and pedestrian and bike path safety into an inviting and durable design that reflects the site’s heritage – a former salmon cannery.…

Located within Zuanich Point Park, Squalicum Boathouse was designed to serve three functions: as a meeting place for conferences, weddings, and public gatherings; as a public restroom for the park; and as a restroom and shower facility for nearby Gate 6 boaters. The floor plan needed to accommodate these functions plus supply adequate storage areas…

There’s nothing like a waterfront master plan for generating competing demands: the public wants access, the port wants jobs, the developers want prime parcels. Everyone wants sustainability, while accountability can remain elusive. And don’t forget about fostering a sense of place. The key is balance of course, and achieving it is all about process: clear…

Joe Martin (1909-1981) was a Bellingham baseball legend: Whatcom High School star pitcher, semi-pro player and Bellingham Bells founder (1941), manager, groundskeeper and chief booster. He also ran a sporting goods store and briefly managed the Bellingham Mariners. In 1980, Joe learned that the city’s new baseball facility at Civic Field would be named after…

In RMC’s 15-year relationship with Bellingham’s most recognizable church, the firm has helped plan and implement a series of projects that support the church’s evolving needs. Projects include the renovation and expansion of the church, which liturgically centers a new altar and baptismal font and creates a new parish church entrance; the Assumption Catholic School’s…

The Lynden Public Library was designed to replace an outdated facility and to serve as the anchor for a 4.5-acre downtown masterplan. It is the largest library in Whatcom County’s nine-branch system. In addition, it is the permanent home for the county’s reference library and serves as a community meeting place. As the architectural centerpiece…

Wanting to enhance their existing church structure, St. Mary Parish needed to add a large gathering room, remodel the reconciliation room, and increase the size of the sacristies and restroom facilities. The design strategy sought to preserve the art glass, liturgical elements, and wood detailing while dramatically changing the church’s interior. The parishioners also wished…

For over eighty years, The Firs has been serving many groups, organizations, families, and campers young and old on Lake Whatcom. The new two-story wood framed building located approximately 750′ south of Lake Whatcom housing a new dining facility above a storage area.

St. John the Evangelist Parish was originally established in the 1930’s. Located in the Greenwood neighborhood in Seattle, the church campus has five distinct masonry structures. There were three primary goals set by the parish for this project: restoring a 1960’s renovation of the church to its original condition and bringing it to seismic code;…